Ten years ago I decided to change the conversation about cancer. Well, I wasn’t quite that audacious, but I felt a need to make a difference in supporting LIVESTRONG and local cancer efforts. Not sure of the outcome and on a borrowed bike, I did have an audacious goal: ride Charlotte’s picturesque 3-mile “Booty Loop” for 24 hours straight. Who trains for that? Why would you?

It didn’t matter, I was determined. 24 hours and 312 miles later, I knew the power of that one idea could change people’s lives. And it has. With LIVESTRONG as our partner and over $7 million raised in the fight against cancer, we are riding into 2012 with events in Charlotte (NC), Columbia (MD), Atlanta (GA), and Indianapolis (IN). It has been quite an adventure, one that continues to inspire and amaze me and everyone involved, and one that deeply impacts the local cancer community in our event cities.

We need you to join us. Start a team, join a team, or just come ride. Registration is open. It’s not a race, so ride as much or as little as you want. Everything is top quality with lots of attention to detail. It’s an experience like no other. In fact, the feeling I get at 24 Hours of Booty is so powerful and beautiful that I chase that feeling at each event, every year. I want you to experience that feeling, too. It is breathtaking. There’s a single word we use that speaks to everything we are about. It is simply this: begin.